Arms cache seized in Trang

CAPE PANWA: Third Naval Area Command recovered a small cache of assault weapons and ammunition from a small island in Trang’s Kantang district yesterday, and an investigation is now underway to determine if the weapons were intended for insurgents in Sri Lanka or Indonesia. V/Adm Pairoj Theerachai, Commander of Third Naval Area Command, said today that a seven-man navy unit raided a site on the small islet of Koh Khor, also known as Koh Neramit, at about 4 pm yesterday. The recovered weapons included 12 AK47 automatic rifles, 1,500 rounds of ammunition, and seven rifle magazines. These were airlifted by helicopter to the Navy base at Cape Panwa for temporary storage, and will later be handed over to Trang Police for further investigation. No arrests were reported . “All weapons were double-wrapped in plastic and were in good condition, especially the ammunition, which was still in original containers,” said V/Adm Pairoj. He added that the weapons might have been awaiting transshipment to rebel insurgents in Sri Lanka or Indonesia. Adding that the successful raid had been sparked by an anonymous tip, he urged the public to contact the Third Naval Area Command at 076-391598 with any information about arms or drug smuggling operations along the Andaman Coast.